Unlock and Sleep
by Witch of Lock
Summary: So what if Aichi COULDN'T convince Kai that he had friends when they were cardfighting under the crumbling black ring? And what if the "atonement" changed everyone's future? Contains Suicide, death, possibly KaiAi and NaoAi.
1. Introduction-Sleep

((AN: Chapter 1 reupdated as of 9 October 2014))

"Aichi… I'm… I'm not worthy of being your idol."  
"Kai!"  
"I have done more harm than good by drawing you into this game. I hurt you. I became jealous of you. I'm a hypocrite and a liar of the worst kind. Friends? I've only pushed them away. Made them suffer only because I didn't know how to act. They would be much better off if I wasn't around. You cannot shepard a sheep as lost as I am, Aichi."  
"Kai! You're nothing like that!"  
"I told you, Aichi. I'm going to disappear. Forever." the remnants of the sealed reverse inside Aichi left him, lifting a burden from his heart. Kai, on the other hand, still donned the red markings of a reverse fighter. It was evident from his expression that he was clinging on to it as hard as he could. His breathing was ragged like he was fighting an invisible force.

Dragonic Overlord "The Яe-birth" stood behind Kai, ready to fire. The brunet lifted his eyes toward the crumbling gate. He seemed to be lost in thought. He followed even the smallest fragments falling on the building, crushing all that had the misfortune to be underneath.

" 'The Яe-birth' attacks!" Kai suddenly rested his vanguard and commanded it to strike at Aichi's own vanguard. Aichi felt greatly overwhelmed. Reflected dragon, he saw Kai's suffering. It and Kai were one and the same. They were both alone.  
Aichi shook his head and dropped a perfect guard on the guardian circle. However, he fumbled and paid the cost with another Mark.  
"Check the twin drive. First check… critical trigger. All effects to 'The Яe-birth.' Second check. Critical trigger." Gancelot was safe from the fires of Overlord from behind Mark's shield. And yet, the assault was not over.

"Rise from the dead! Dragonic Overlord 'The Яe-birth'!" Kai dropped his drive checks into the drop zone and moved his vanguard from the "rest" position. He attacked once more.

Aichi examined his hand. The blunder would cost him dearly.  
"Qu-quintet wall!" Aichi paid the counterblast and placed his top five cards on the guardian circle. Blaster Blade. Monarch Alfred. Epona. Gancelot. Star Rain. A 20000 guard. Combined with Gancelot's power, it only summed up to 31000 against the 33000 Яe-birth.

Aichi placed a Little Liberator, Marron on the guardian circle. The sum was now 36000. If Kai pulled just one trigger…  
"Check the twin drive. First check…" it was simply Dragonic Burnout. Aichi nearly sighed in relief. "Second check…" Kai's eyes lit up and his mouth curled into an insincere smile. It was almost as if he had wanted Aichi to win. He turned the card over and mouthed the words "critical trigger." With no other target, Kai gave all the power to Overlord. The dragon had a critical of four and Aichi was stuck at five damage. The end was clear.  
"Damage… check…" Aichi had once again fallen before the reversed Kai. He could no longer find the strength to pick up his cards.  
"Aichi." Kai threw a card at him. It was the breakride Dragonic Overlord. The younger boy looked up from his cards and wiped away his tears. Kai seemed… farther away. "I'm sorry, Aichi," the older boy continued, watching the ring, "You won't be reversed. Void is too weak for that now. Even I can feel that, but…" he took a step back, "it's time for me to atone… once and for all." Aichi's eyes widened as he heard a crack. A chunk of the gate was cracking right above where Kai was.  
"KAI! NO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Aichi ran toward Kai, but he just slapped Aichi away.  
"It's dangerous, Aichi. Your friends. They need you."  
The cracking grew louder. Aichi instinctively backed away. He watched Kai's previously unwaviering eyes fill with tears. Aichi's hero, no, his rival stood still. Memories of past cardfights and the training camps filled Aichi's head. He then recalled the day Kai gifted Blaster Blade to him.

Even from where he was standing, Aichi could see Kai's legs shaking. "

I'm… I'm scared to be honest. I had fun. But, then again, I was the one who ruined the fun." Kai closed his eyes, determined to no longer show weakness. "I'm going to see them again, though. How many years has it been?" The reverse started fading from Kai. A single tear fell from his eye. Aichi tried to move. He tried to lead Kai to safety. He try to open his mouth and tell Kai how much he meant to Aichi, but his legs stayed glued to the floor and his voice only craccked into squeaks. Kai opened his eyes and took one last look at Aichi. "Aichi. Take care. You were special to me... Tell everyone I'm sor—"

He didn't even finish his sentence when the shard of the gate crushed him. Aichi stood in silence, and then his voice finally allowed him to scream. On cue, Naoki ran into the building and used any method he could to ascend the collapsing building. He only found Aichi trying to push away the shard from a pool of blood and a broken, lifeless body.  
"Aichi, come on…"  
"NO! I NEED TO SAVE KAI! I NEED TO SAVE HIM! HE'S TRAPPED!"  
"Aichi. You can't save him now! Even I can see that!"  
"You don't understand! This is KAI! He can't die! We… we were supposed to be best friends and rivals…"  
"I'm sorry but… we have to leave…"  
"I refuse." Aichi didn't even glance at Naoki.  
"You leave me with no choice, Aichi." Naoki punched Aichi in the stomach, knocking him out. He picked up the unconscious Aichi and turned to Kai's mangled wreck of a body. "I won't forgive you for hurting him, Kai," Naoki snarled. He then made his way back down to the others. By that time, Kourin had disappeared along with her memories, leaving behind only a ribbon as proof she even existed.

Aichi lost two of his closest friends in only a day.


	2. Introduction-Awakening

Naoki knocked on the door of the Sendou residence, completely ignoring the doorbell. As he waited for someone to open the door, he shuffled through the numerous bags he had brought with him to make sure he had everything. Everyone in the Miyaji and Hitsue cardfight clubs as well as the top ranked fighters in the Fukuhara cardfight club had each given him something to try to cheer Aichi up.  
The door creaked open.  
"Hello?"  
"E-Emi?!"  
"You're that guy from Aichi's cardfight club, right?"  
"Ye-yeah that's me!" At Naoki's words, Emi opened the door the rest of the way, allowing entry to the high school student. He entered the home and removed his shoes. "Where's your mother?" he asked. Surely Aichi's mother would want to support him now of all times.  
"She's calling relatives… She thinks it would be best if big brother got away from here for a while," said the middle schooler, almost looking as if she was going to cry. Seeing this, Naoki decided to change the subject.  
"Where is your brother anyway?"  
"Oh! He's in his room over there!" Emi pointed down a long hallway. ""He hasn't come out since the funeral. He won't eat either… Please help him remember that it's okay to be happy!" Naoki stepped towards the hallway and mustered up a smile for the girl.  
"That's what I'm here for!" In reality, he felt a heavy burden being placed on him by Emi. Before the funeral he wouldn't even talk. The Dragonic Overlord Kai had thrown at him was with him at all times. Even in school, Aichi held it obsessively, just staring at it as if he felt he could just somehow channel Kai through it!  
Naoki walked down the hallway and stoped in front of a door with a colorful sign that read "Aichi." The cheerfulness of the sign was dissonant with the misery of the visit. He knocked on the door.  
No answer.  
He tried again.  
No answer.  
Naoki opened the door himself. He was greeted by a dark, cold room. After his eyes adjusted to the very little light, he made out an Aichi-shaped lump on the bed. He walked in the room and closed the door behind him before sitting on the bed, next to Aichi.  
"Hey, Aichi…" he said his usual greeting without thinking. Aichi didn't respond, so Naoki kept talking. "Everyone misses you. Even the student council dropped by the club room to ask where you were. It was pretty funny. He claimed it was because of your attendance, but I know as well as anyone that they call home for that." He glanced at Aichi on the bed. He was awake, just not responsive. So, Naoki continued on talking about how Kourin disappeared, so they were trying to look for a new member to prevent the club from shutting down while they searched for her. He just rambled on and on about different events, hoping to just receive some response from the boy.  
"I got presents for you from everyone." He reached into one bag and pulled out missed notes from Shingo, a group picture of the Miyaji Cardfight Club, and a new Vanguard trial deck from himself. He described every one of them with care and placed them in front of Aichi so he could see them. It was like talking to a wall at that point. He silently cursed Kai for reducing Aichi to his current state.  
Naoki picked up the other bag. Morikawa had packed his finest grade 3s, Izaki gave him the latest Ultra Rare album, Miwa (who was at the opposite end of the extreme, smiling all the time and busying himself to the point where he had no time to think about Kai) selflessly gifted the remainders of Kai's Royal Paladin deck saying that it was "rightfully Aichi's." Naoki decided to omit describing that gift and Kamui's: a framed picture of team Q4.  
Again, no response.  
He tried again with the gifts from Fukuhara. Ren and Asaka made food for Aichi. Tons of it in order to try to get him to eat. The delicious scent filled the room. Surely that would persuade Aichi to respond!  
Yet he lay still.  
Naoki wasn't sure if he felt disappointed or frustrated.  
"Aichi… you can't stay cooped up here forever…"  
"…yes I can…"  
Naoki jumped at the reply. The voice was hoarse, but he couldn't pick up if it was from crying or just not talking. He tried to get another response from Aichi.  
"Aichi. There's still the rest of your life ahead of you."  
"But Kai doesn't have that and it's my fault. If only I'd been stronger, I…"  
"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!" Naoki couldn't keep himself from shouting. He pulled Aichi over. "Look at me!" he demanded, forcing eye contact. "It is NOT your fault! He made his choice and you have to make yours! We need you! I need you! You are my Vanguard! Our Vanguard!" He slammed his fist on the wall and accidentally cracked it. "If he means that much to you, then you should know that he would want you to live out your life instead of becoming a-a NEET!"  
Tears started forming in Aichi's eyes.  
"I-I'm sorry…" Aichi whispered, sitting up. "You-you're right, Naoki… it's been over three weeks…" he sat up. There was something different about him. He had changed in a way that could only be caused by excessive grief. He seemed to be hardened, but extremely fragile.  
He forced himself to eat Ren and Asaka's cooking. In the meanwhile Naoki did the best that he could to catch Aichi up using Shingo's notes. Eventually, Naoki decided he would sleep over, to make sure that Aichi would be okay.  
"Aichi. We don't have class tomorrow, so I'm taking you to Card Capital tomorrow. Make a deck, okay?"  
"Okay, Naoki…"


	3. Change-Unsettling

"Aichi? Are you awake?" Aichi rubbed his eyes. Light filtered through the room for the first time in weeks. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the light. He was in his room and had slept through the night without nightmares of crumbling gates for the first time in what seemed like forever. Naoki had slept on the floor with only a pillow for comfort. He grinned playfully at Aichi. "You promised we would go to Card Capital, remember?"

"Ah. Yes, I'd forgotten." Aichi got up from his bed, being careful not to step on his friend. He was about to undress when he remembered Naoki was in the room. "Can you leave me alone for a few minutes? And please tell Mom to make breakfast for four if it's okay with her." Naoki was surprised at the shift in personality.

_Well he did go about three weeks with no interaction… _Naoki thought, justifying his friend's behavior. Aichi glared at Naoki who scurried out the door.

"Emi told me you were here. Did you make any progress?" Naoki turned around to come face to face with Shizuka Sendou. She smiled, but her face showed signs of exhaustion, undoubtedly from staying up countless nights to try and convince her son to eat _something_.

"He said to make breakfast for four? That's him, you, Emi, and I guess me?"

"Oh good! I'll get started right away!" She ran to the kitchen in high spirits. Naoki just waited around Aichi's door.

"I'm ready." Aichi opened the door. His outfit was different than his usual style. He wasn't wearing a jacket at all, but rather a short-sleeved v-neck. He passed by Naoki and smiled. "Come on, let's go sit down." The sudden changes were unsettling to the taller boy. Where they unconscious decisions, or was he trying to make a point?

Breakfast was silent for the most part. The Sendous were just happy that Aichi was moving and eating again. He still seemed to be forcing himself to eat, only a little at a time. Naoki was the first to be finished. Aichi was the last.

Moments later, the two left for Card Capital. Naoki sent a group text to members of all cardfight clubs, save for the MIA Kourin. And all of them responded back, save for Miwa. He tried to tell Aichi that everyone was waiting for him and was happy to see him, but Aichi just shrugged. He didn't seem too interested in the prospect of seeing his friends, so why did he agree to go in the first place?

Everyone, save for Misaki who watched from the counter, crowded at the door when Aichi stepped in.

"Aichi!"  
"Sendou!"  
"Big Brother!"

Aichi shrugged them all off and sat in the back of the Fighter's Lounge. He glared at them all and placed a deck on one of the supplied playmats.

"Who's first?"

Aichi shuffled his cards with an air of unnatural confidence. Misaki stepped out from behind the counter and placed her deck on the table. She seemed focused on the boy. She was clearly on some sort of mission.

"I'll play you, Aichi."

"STAND UP,"

"THE"

"VANGUARD!"

Everyone's eyes widened when Aichi added the extra article to the phrase. Misaki seemed to pick up on something.

"Witch of Prohibited Books, Cinnamon!"

"Lizard Soldier, Fargo!"

Kagero. An unusual choice for someone who had never played a control deck in their life. Even more unusual was that Fargo worked specifically with "Overlord" cards.

Yet the match carried on.


	4. Change-Emulate

((AN: You can probably tell that I'm not very good at writing cardfights))

"Flame of apocalypse that burns away everything in this world! Ride the Vanguard! Dragonic Overlord!" Aichi seemed to have a burning aura about him as he slammed down the grade 3 Kagero. His expression immediately brought parallels of Kai to Misaki's mind. She glared at him.

"Aichi. This isn't you."

"People can change, Tokura."

Aichi never used Misaki's last name before. This confirmed it for her.

"Aichi, stop trying to be Kai! He's gone!" She slammed her hand on the table. Her opponent just blinked before calling Burning Horn Dragon to the rear guard.

"I attack with Dragonic Overlord!"

"I guard with Witch of Pots, Laurel and Witch of Cats, Cumin!"

"Check the twin drive... no trigger. Burning Horn attacks Jupiter!"

"No guard." Jupiter fell into Misaki's drop zone. It was Misaki's turn next.

"Stand and draw! Goddess who appears in response to the call of the regalia of wisdom! Use your sword of intelligence and foresight to cut through the tangled skein of fate! Break Ride! Cross Breakride! Omniscience Regalia, Minerva! Break ride skill!" She soul blasted 3 cards and drew one. "Witch of Raven's skill!" She flipped over one damage and placed the card from the drop zone to her rear guard circle. Call! Witch of Cats, Cumin! I soul charge one card! Now I call Goddess of Trees, Jupiter!" She rested Minerva. "Boosted by Cinnamon, Minerva attacks Overlord!"

" No guard."

"Twin drive!" She drived checked a draw trigger and gave all of the power to Minerva. Aichi damage checked a Embodiment of Armor, Bahr. "Cinnamon's skill!" She then placed Cinnamon into the soul and soul charged two cards. "And now, limit break!" Misaki paid the cost for her Vanguard's limit break and Minerva stood once more. "Witch of Frog's skill!" She flipped over one card in her damage and placed the soulblasted card behind Minerva. She attacked once more.

"Guard! Dragon Dancer, Maria!" Aichi discarded a Dragonic Overlord to pay for the perfrct guard's cost. Misaki pursrd her lips in minor frustration.

"Twin drive!" A critical trigger that she gave to Jupiter. "Witch of Ravens attacks Burning Horn!"

"Guard with Seal Dragon, Artpique!"

"Jupiter, finish off his Vanguard!"

"Guard with Dragon Dancer, Barbara and Embodiment of Spear, Tahr!"

"I end my turn."

Aichi looked Misaki in the eye.

"Tokura... I'm only doing what I feel is right." He stood all of his cards and drew from his deck. "And you shouldn't try and change that!" Aichi lifted a card from his hand. "At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at final evolution! Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form! Cross Breakride! Dragonic Overlord, The End! Breakride skill! Power plus 10000 to The End, and since he's a crossride, he gets an additional 2000 power." Aichi moved Lizard Soldier, Fargo into the soul. "When any of The End's attacks hit, I get to retire one of your rear guards. I call Dragonic Burnout! I soulblast one card and place Dragonic Overlord from my drop zone to the bottom of my deck! Jupiter is retired!" He filled up his rearguard circles. "Overlord attacks Witch of Ravens, Chamomile!"

"N-no guard."

"Check the twin drive... first check: Critcal trigger! All effects to The End. Second check... no trigger." Misaki moved the rearguard to her drop zone. "Not so fast," Aichi said, "Rememer Fargo? Retire Melissa too." The clerk reluctantly moved Melissa on top of Chamomile. " Breakride skill! I counterblast one and discard a card to restand The End who attacks your vanguard, This time boosted by Heatnail Salamander!"

"Quintet Wall!" Misaki paid the counterblast and the top five cards of her deck filled her guardian circle, however it still wasn't enough to guard the attack. "I also guard with Cider!" After the attack, the cards on the guardian circle would be soul charged instead of placed in the drop zone. Aichi glared at Misaki, his former actions against Kai echoing in his mind. He had made almost the exact same move against Kai, and that had cost him the game.

"I'll show you... Twin drive! First check, draw trigger! Power to The End!" Aichi gloated. Misaki cringed. She was at four damage and The End had a critical on him. "Second check... no trigger."

"D-damage check..." her second check was a heal trigger, allowing her to heal a damage and give 5000 power to Minerva.

"Cumin is retired because of Fargo's skill. Witch of Oranges, Valencia is retired because of Heatnail." Misaki's once full field was decimated in only one turn. "But The End isn't finished yet." Counter blast 2. Persona blast. Dragonic Overlord The End stood once more. Aichi declared another attack with The End. Misaki looked at her hand. Even if she successfully guarded The End's third attack, she would still be vulnerable to the rearguard attacks.

"No guard..." She didn't have enough heal triggers to save her from The End's attack. Misaki had lost.

Aichi stood from his seat, trying to hide the fact that he was proud of his accomplishment. Misaki just stared at him in silence. As she thought, Aichi had been taking the exact opposite course of Miwa. Miwa was trying to push Kai out of his mind and suppress the fact that his best friend even existed. Aichi was trying to emulate his fallen hero since there was no one to look off of anymore. Both were unhealthy was of coping. Misaki clutched the key that was chained around her neck. The loss of a loved one was painful. She knew that as well as anyone, but she also knew that better ways to cope exist.

The blue haired boy stood from his seat and began to walk away, ignoring his friends while they just stared at him.

"I need to get stronger..." he whispered to himself, "I need to make sure no one forgets Kai. I need to make sure no one makes the same choice as him. And..." he squeezed the Kagero deck in his hand, "I need to get him back."


	5. Change-Preparation

Misaki gathered Kamui and Naoki to the table farthest in the back. They were still in shock about the fight. After all, Aichi hadn't shifted in personality since he was possessed by Psyqualia. She wasn't normally one to be the leader, but since she fought Aichi, she kept her cool, and her perfect memory could come in handy, the shop clerk was a natural choice.

"As you all saw, Aichi has adopted Kai's personality, and we need to stop him. Miwa would be great here, but..." she shook her head "We can only focus on who we have now. Once we help Aichi, maybe we can help Miwa, and then find Kourin. And we can be together again..." she seemed to be lost in thought, possibly remembering those days back to Q4 where their biggest problem was overcoming AL4, but... they could never return to those times again. She snapped back to reality. Naoki chimed in, attempting to add something useful to the discussion.

"Well, if he's trying to adopt Kai's personality, where do you think Kai would go if he were in Aichi's position?" Kamui and Misaki both stared at him.

"Well... there are the underground cardfights..." Kamui added, "It's the only place I can think of..."

"Underground cardfights... it's not that farfetched, but... we need to show him... show him that he's not alone, even when Kai's not with us." Misaki scanned the store, hoping she could use something. Shin seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"We did get that new shipment. With the Legion cards we attended the meeting about." He handed Naoki a new Narukami trial deck. "They aren't Eradicators, so you might not get used to them right away." Shin turned around and faced Misaki with a small box full of Cardfight! Vanguard packs. "We also got the new Genesis extra booster, Misaki. And I think it would do you two boys well if you split a box of Legion of Dragons and Blades. They have some powerful Nova Grappler and Narukami cards you two can use." He turned away from the group and wiped off his glasses. "Aichi has done wonderful things for you three and this shop. Try and help him with those. Misaki, you're locking up today, okay?" He threw the door keys at his niece.

"All right Shi- Manager."

And with that, the manager ascended up a flight of stairs to the apartment above the shop.

Misaki transacted the purchases and helped sort through the cards. Overall, they received some very lucky pulls. Misaki even got a legion rare CEO Yggdrasil, which prompted Naoki and Kamui to their new cards faster in hopes of finding one of their own.

Switching to legion would mean completely overhauling their decks, but it was a path they were willing to take. To save Aichi. To save Miwa. To find Kourin. Legion brought together a card with its Mate. Its friend.

"Tonight, we go home and prepare our new decks. Then tomorrow, we make our way to the underground and save Aichi!" Naoki held out his fist. Kamui bumped it back with equal force. Misaki bumbed the two gently. If they failed, who knows how he would act next? He could even go as far as to follow suit and take his own life or seek out Void. That was, if they found him at all.

"I'm closing up shop. You two better run home," the clerk walked over to the door and held it open. The key was in her other hand. As they walked out, she whispered "stay safe" to them. Even though she didn't show it, losing a friend affected her greatly. She became more protective of those aroun

d her. After locking up, Misaki picked up Sub-Manager. The cat seemed lighter, which was strange since he wasn't under any stress, nor was he sick and Misaki fed him as much as she usually did. She remembered Aichi saying half a year ago about Kai sneaking in extra treats for him. Perhaps that was true after all.

She carried the cat up the stairs and flicked off the shop lights. The high schooler then returned into her room and fanned out her deck and the new Genesis cards.

"CEO Yggdrasil... I can use this." That night, she played against an invisible opponent again and again, making slight alterations after every match. At midnight, the finally completed. She just hoped that it would be effective enough to face Aichi...


	6. Change-Dream

They walked in a small formation down an alley. Misaki, knowing the exact location, continued to lead the way. In the meanwhile, Naoki decided to start a conversation with Kamui.

"So how does Boss Lady know how to get there?" he whispered to the middle schooler.

"Boss Lady?"

"Have you seen how she dresses?"

"She has something called... whar did that jerk call it? Redirect Memory?"

"Edidect Memory, Kamui," Misaki corrected him, slightly irritated that the two were talking about her behind her back, "the last time we were here, Kai saved Aichi from his dependency on Psyqualia. However, Kai had been frequenting this place before then, so he could get stronger."

"Boss La- Misaki, why would he want to get stronger? He was strong already, right?"

"Ren was dependent on Psyqualia too. Psyqualia apparently lets you hear the 'voice of cards' Kai told us and it ends up warping your personality by over confidence and dependency. He and Ren used to be good friends until Ren acquired Psyqualia and abused its power," she turned around to face the two. Kamui,who knew the story, seemed bored with it, but Naoki's expression was a blend of awe and excitement.

"Voice of the cards!? That's so cool!" Naoki shot his fist straight up in the air, almost hitting Kamui in the process.

"Watch where you're going!" he yelled at Naoki.

"S-sorry..."

"If you two are finished, prepare your decks. We're almost there. This IS the underground, so there are no rules. However, I expect you two to stick to the rules, and show Aichi that true strength comes from bonds."

And so the three stepped into the alley, unsure of what they would find

* * *

"Big Bang Knuckle Dragon attacks the Vanguard!"

"N-no guard..."

The trio defeated opponents one after the other with the purpose of flushing out Aichi. Eventually, they attracted someone's attention, but it wasn't Aichi's.

"What do we have here?" A tall man with dark hair stepped out of the shadows. He eyed the three teenagers. "There's two familiar faces. I believe I remember you from Asia Circuit. As for Scraggly there-"

"Yes, Jun. We remember you too," Misaki said flatly.

"My name's Naoki! Not 'Scraggly'!" Naoki rose his fists, as if he were preparing to strike Jun down.

"Right. So what brings you three here? Come to join your friend?"

"He's here!?" Naoki shouted, grabbing his deck.

"Certainly! In fact, he came to me and requested I take him under my wing! Come out now!" Jun turned and beckoned to the shadows. From out of the darkness came a lost friend, but not the one the three were expecting.

"Miwa?! What are YOU doing here?!" Misaki slammed down her hand on one of the rickety fight table.

"This is the only place I have to go," he muttered. Miwa placed a deck on the table and scanned the area. His eyes seemed unfocused, like the events that were occuring were but a dream to him. "Fight me," he continued.

"I'll-"

"Misaki! I'll do it!"

"Kamui?" Misaki stepped back.

"Trust me," Kamui slipped his deck on a fight table and placed the first vanguard on the indicated areas.

"You're up then? Watch out or I'll crush you, Shrimp!" Miwa's expression darkened. The two drew their cards.

"Stand up, Vanguard!"


	7. Change-Together

((AN: I don't play the two clans featured here, so just take this match just take it))

"Hey, Kamui! That's your name, right?" A tall blond boy sat next to the elementary schooler with a wide grin on his face.

"Huh? Aren't you That Jerk's-err-Kai's friend?"

"That's me! The name's Miwa!" He was rather cheery. A complete foil to Kai. "Listen! I heard you play Nova Grapplers!"

"Uhh yeah, I do."

"All right then!" Miwa reached into his bag and took out a binder full of cards.

"What are those?!"

"Some of my old Nova Grapplers," Miwa explained as he flipped through the pages, "I haven't played them in years, so I thought you'd be able to make some use of them."

"Cat Butler... Cup Bowler... Wait, Raizers?! There are some rare cards here! Are you sure you want to give 'em to me?"

"Yup! They're all yours!"

"Thanks a bunch!"

"No problem! Good luck to you and all of Q4 in the upcoming regionals!"

* * *

To think he was going head to head with Miwa of all people.

But his opponent just wasn't the same.

It was true that the Hitsue Cardfight Club had disbanded (Kamui had been a special exception and was allowed to go there after school) since Kai's suicide, but they should have been able to see each other at Card Capital. The new Miwa was a whole other person. His eyes were either unfocused or in a glare. His voice was either monotone or in a fury. A oncKamui glanced to the side and saw Misaki watching his opponent intently.

"I ride Carvingraizer! Energyraizer moves to rearguard!"

"I ride Red River Dragoon. Strike Dagger moves to rearguard." Miwa was playing Eradicators, and judging by his starter, he was playing Dragonic Descendant.

The game continued. Kamui playing Raizers and Miwa playing Eradicators. The two exchanged blows in a fierce display of power.

"Strike Dagger's skill! Powerful, ancient dragon, trace the ancestry of your form and strength and swoop down the Earth again! Superior Ride! Eradicator Dragonic Descendant!" Miwa smashed the grade 3 on the vanguard circle. Kamui was still on grade 2. "Descendant attacks!"

"I guard with Shieldraizer! Quintet wall!" Kamui used up a counterblast and placed the top five cards from the top of his deck to the guardian circle. There was no way Descendant would be able to hit Wingraizer, Kamui's current vanguard.

"Limit break!" Miwa shouted. He flipped over a card in his damage zone and discarded three Eradicators from his hand. He turned his vanguard from the rest position to the stand position. "Descendant gains an extra critical and attacks again!"

Kamui glanced at his damage. He was at three, so if Miwa drive checked a critical trigger, he would be done for. He looked at the cards in his hand.

"I guard with Raizer Girl, Kate and Minimum Raizer!"

"So I can't hit."

After his twin drive, Miwa ended his turn.

"A flash of light that pierces the darkness of space! The great Kamui rides Ultimate Raizer Mega Flare!" he placed the grade 3 on top of his grade 2. "I call Phoenix Raizer Flare Wing, Tankraizer, and Cat Butler!" Miwa's expression shifted lightly when he saw Cat Butler. "It's one of the cards you gave me way back then," Kamui explained.

"Cat Butler... So that's his plan!" Misaki noted. Naoki looked puzzled.

"Boss La- Misaki, why is he using Cat Butler? It doesn't look that strong to me..." he asked.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Misaki glared at Naoki. "You'll see soon enough, Naoki."

"Seek mate!" Kamui placed four cards from his drop zone and shuffled them in his deck. "Dark crimson magma lying deep underground and blue sky surrounding this planet in the heavens! Now, awaken and line up to protect the home planet! The great Kamui's Legion!"

"Legion?!" Miwa nearly knocked over the fight table.

"Using Mega Flare's skill, I can put 4 cards from my drop zone to the deck and search for its mate. I them put the mate on the vanguard circle with my grade 3!" Kamui explained.

"Two vanguards?!"

"I can only do it when my opponent has a grade 3 or higher vanguard, so it was lucky for me that you used Strike Dagger's skill!"

"That's-!" Miwa tried to calm himself. Kamui took advantage of his opponent's surprise and attacked with his rearguards first. By the time his vanguard attacked, Miwa only had three cards left in his hand and no grade 2s on the field.

"Legion skill! My vanguard can attack for 20000, and that's not including the boost! Also, because I have four or more units at rest, my vanguard gets an extra critical!"

"Guard! Eradicator Wyvern Guard, Guld!" the blond discarded a Vowing Sword Dragon from his hand.

"Twin Drive! First check... no trigger... Second Check! Critical trigger! All effects to my vanguard!"

Miwa only had a single card left in his hand.

"Cat Butler's skill! Because an attack by my grade 2 or lower vanguard didn't hit, I can retire 'im and restand my vanguard!"

"I-I can't guard!" Miwa stared at the last card in his hand. It was another Guld, but he didn't have the cards to pay the cost.

"Miwa! You can't just forget That Jerk and go off on your own without yer friends! We're here for you! Legion attack!"

"Damage check..." Miwa hoped for a two heal triggers. However, it was in vain. He knew he only had one heal let in the deck.

He had been soundly defeated by Kamui.

* * *

"Miwa!" Misaki and Naoki ran over to Miwa and Kamui.

"What am I going to do now..." Miwa sat on the ground and buried his head in his hands. "I don't have anyone anymore..."

"You have us, Miwa. The bonds we forged are still here, even if Kai isn't." Misaki knelt down next to him and Naoki helped him up. "That's why we used Legion. To show you that."

Jun stepped over to the fighters.

"Miwa, Miwa..." Miwa looked up and made eye contact with Jun.

"Jun I-"

"Go with them. This place isn't right for you. You're strong alone yes, but..." he turned his back to Miwa, "It is my experience that you are much, much stronger when you're with your companions." Miwa nodded half-heartedly.

"So... what now?" Miwa asked as the group left the dark alley and made their way to Card Capital.

"We need to find Aichi!" Naoki ran ahead of the group. "He could be anywhere!"

"Aichi's finally out of the house?" Miwa asked.

"And then he ran off." Kamui explained.

"Let's head back and regroup before we do anything else, Naoki." Misaki insisted, taking lead once more. "We made you a deck in case we found you. You should look it over and adjust it as you see fit."

"What clan is it?"

"Kagero."


	8. Step-Hope

"So Naoki here got Aichi back on his feet, but Aichi ran away after showing off his new Overlord deck?" Miwa asked, leaning back on his chair. He seemed to be back to normal for the most part, but nobody would expect a quick recovery from someone whose best buddy committed suicide only a month ago, especially after he indulged in the Underground in an attempt to drown out his sorrows and memories of said best buddy.

"That's correct. He picked up several of Kai's mannerisms too," Misaki sat next to Miwa, fixing up the last portions of his new Kagero deck, "Including calling me_ Tokura._" She shuddered, recalling perfectly how cold Aichi's voice was when he spoke her surname. She slipped the finished deck to Miwa.

"It's my fault," Naoki sighed, "I was the one who pushed him to get back up. Maybe I pushed him too hard…"

"Naoki, he was stuck there for three weeks," Miwa retorted, but then laughed, "Although, I'm not one to talk, now that I think about it." He flipped through his new deck. "Ooooh! Thanks, Misaki."

"It was a joint effort. Thank Naoki. He had a better idea of how the deck should run than I did." Misaki turned around in her seat to check up on Kamui. "How's that list going? Think of anywhere new?"

"Well, I was thinkin' that weird card shop. Wasn't it called PSY or something? Then I remembered Kai'd probably never been there. Then I thought of the training camps, but I don't think Aichi could've gone there alone. Right now, I think our best bet might be Foo Fighter headquarters." Kamui showed Misaki, Miwa, and Naoki a list of locations where Aichi could be.

"Foo Fighter?" Naoki asked.

"I forgot you were relatively new to Cardfight, Naoki. Foo Fighter is Ren's team. It's made of hundreds of cardfighters who are thought of as the best of the best," Miwa took out his phone and showed some pictures to Naoki.

"I'll call up Ren and put you guys on the phone then," Shin had appeared behind the group without them noticing. "Oddly enough, Ren dropped by before all this because he was curious about Aichi and Kai's 'home' card shop." He adjusted his glasses. "He gave me his number and said to call if I was in need of someone to take over temporarily. Something along the lines of he 'always wanted to run his own card shop' or something."

The group sprang up and quickly followed the manager to the front desk. A coincidence like that was all too perfect. Shin looked up the number on his computer and jotted it down. He handed the paper to Misaki. He then instructed the group that it would be better if they made the call in the storage room.

"You don't want anyone to hear you, right?" he had asked.

Misaki dialed the number, turned her cell on speakerphone, and then set it on a sealed box of card packs. The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

"Hello? Foo Fighter Headquarters here."

A female voice answered the phone. She was someone who the four of them recognized right away.

"Asaka!" Misaki almost shouted.

"Oh it's you. We're in the middle of a training session. Is this important or…"

"It's about Aichi!" Naoki shouted in the receiver.

"Geez you don't have to shout! If it's about Aichi, then Ren should know something. I'll put him on." The other end was silent. Everyone stared at Naoki who just shrugged.

"Hellooooooooo!" A playful voice rang from the other end. It was undeniably Suzugamori Ren. Even if you never heard him speak before, it was obvious who the voice belonged to.

"Ren. We need to know if Aichi is on the premise. Would it be too much trouble to help us out?"

"Ohhh! You're Kai's old friend! Miwa, was it? Sure, I can do it. One sec. Just let me look at the surveillance footage…"

Silence. And it continued for two minutes.

Three minutes.

Four.

"Nope. No signs of Blueberry here."

"Blueberry?" Kamui asked.

"Nevermind that. You're looking for him, right? Where have you looked so far? Maybe I could offer up some ideas." There was background noise, almost like Ren was spinning in his chair while speaking.

"Well, we thought of a few places. Card shop PSY, the various training camps…" Kamui started, checking off his list again.

"The problem is Aichi is trying to become a second Kai. He's copying everything from Kai's mannerisms to his deck. He ran off and now we're worried he might… follow in Kai's…" Misaki trailed off, unable to bear the thought of another friend dying on her.

"What about the collapsed Tatsunagi Corporation building?" Ren suggested.

"Why would Aichi even be there?!" Naoki asked, "Why would he go to the place where Kai… died…"

"That's simply why, though! If you think about it, that's where Kai's death began and ended."

"Began and ended?"

"Think of it this way," the background noise was present once more, "assuming Void was in Takuto Tatsunagi's body at the time and didn't seek Kai out directly, where do you think Kai first took Link Joker upon himself?"

"Takuto's residence. The Tatsunagi building," Misaki answered.

"Seeing as it's the place where Kai's fall started, don't you think Aichi would want to see it once more for himself? After all, if I remember correctly, Aichi did think very highly of Kai and according to you, he is copying Kai, so it's at least worth checking out, is it not?"

The group was silent. Naoki spoke up.

"We'll try there then…"

"Okie dokie then. Please tell me how it goes. I'll keep an eye out here and call if anything turns up. By the way, Misa-kiiiiii—"

"It's Misaki!"

"—Does your Uncle have any openings? Can you put in a good word for me? Pretty plea—"

Misaki turned off her phone before Ren finished his sentence. Their destination was clear. For the first time since Kai's death, they were going to the Tatsunagi building. After gathering their decks, the four exited Card Capital without so much as a single word. Any second they didn't find Aichi alive was one second towards potentially finding Aichi dead.


	9. Step-Break

The sidewalks were crowded, but the only sounds Naoki heard were the sentences that ran through his head.

"Aichi, I'm sorry."

"Aichi, please come home."

"Aichi, don't do this." Naoki watched his feet while trailing behind the rest of the group. His legs shook, he was nearly hyperventilating. All he wanted was for Aichi to be safe.

"Ishida!" Kamui slowed and matched his pace with Naoki. "Are you okay, Ishida?"

"Y-teah, I'll be fine." He closed his eyes and smiled, succeeding in holding back his tears. He waited until Kamui left before letting them spill over. He didn't want to lose Aichi or anyone anymore. Aichi saved him back then, just by playing a single game of Vanguard and not giving up on him. Now he wanted to repay his debt.

"The Tatsunagi building collapsed, right?" Miwa asked Misaki as they navigated the city.

"Yeah. The news reported it as a result of a structural flaw with the building. They also reported Kai and Takuto's deaths as a result of the collapse..." She kept her eyes straight ahead. It was also true that rumors made their way out through even Miyaji that Kai Toshiki's tragic death was actually a suicide. Which wasn't untrue, but Misaki, Akari, Shingo and Naoki attempted to dispel the rumors from Miyaji's end. At least for Aichi's sake. Misaki continued, "They aren't cleaning it up today, so it's the perfect time for Aichi to sneak in... and us too."

"I have to hand it to Ren. I would have never thought of that place."

"That's what's so worrying. How did he know?"

"Lucky guess, maybe?"

"I doubt it." Misaki turned the corner and waited for the Kamui and Naoki to catch up. "We're going to stop at this place to regroup." She nodded her head toward the diner behind her. "We're already close to the Tatsunagi Building and I think we need to sort out a plan."

"Yeah." Kamui agreed, " Despite being all broken down n' stuff, the area's still big and if Brother saw one of us in his state... I don't know what he would do..."

"Mm." Misaki nodded. Naoki continued to stare at his feet. Each step he took was one step closer to another attempt at pulling back Aichi. He was one step closer to screwing up again.

They picked a booth conveniently placed next to the windows. From there, they had a good view of the road leading up to the abandoned building. If Aichi was heading up there or leaving, they would know.

Each ordered something to drink. They wouldn't have the time to eat a full-blown meal. Besides, Misaki said it was her treat.

"Kai came here often..." Miwa muttered under his breath, stiring at a cup of black coffee. It wasn't that long ago that the two met up at the restaurant to discuss Miwa's Seal Dragon deck for the VF Circuit. Kai ordered a cup of black coffee to seem cool, but he added several packets of sugar when he thought Miwa wasn't looking.

"So about Aichi..." Misaki started, attempting to change the topic, "...I think we should split up, but try to keep close in case trouble arises."

"Why don't we leave here and head out at different intervals?" Kamui added. The other three nodded in agreement.

"We can draw straws to see who goes first!" Miwa suggested. Misaki snatched four straws and wrote numbers on them with a thin ballpoint pen. She then bunched them up in her hand to that only the blank tops showed.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

Miwa, Kamui, and Naoki yanked out a straw each. The one that was left in Misaki's hand was hers.

"Two!" Miwa exclaimed, pointing to the small number at the bottom of his straw.

"I've got four." Kamui grumbled.

"Three." Misaki stated. Everyone stared at Naoki.

"I guess this means..." he peeked at his number, "...I'm first."

Misaki slipped some money to Kamui.

"Use this to pay for our bill, okay?"

"Great! Thanks, Misaki!"

"I'm expecting change."

"Awww..."

Naoki gazed at the pedestrians walking by the window. He was first to go. He had a greater chance of screwing up again. Naoki closed his eyes and tried to think back to the days before reverse. The days before Takuto announced his plans to destroy the world. However, he knew the past was gone and the only thing he could do is fix the present. Except fix wasn't the right word. Nobody could undo Kai Toshiki's death, no matter how hard they tried. Suddenly, with this in mind, Naoki gathered the courage to stand up.

"I'm heading out. We're going to find Aichi. Make sure he's here. Then, we'll help him and Kourin too." With that, Naoki left the building and stepped down a street that would change the future.


	10. Step-Fall

The building was in shambles.

If the "Tatsunagi" sign wasn't in front, Naoki wouldn't have even recognized it as the tower he had traversed so long ago to carry Aichi back to safety.

"There's no way Aichi would be here..." he remarked. Naoki kicked a shard of glass.

All was silent.

Or so Naoki thought until he heard a a voice resounding from deep within the building. It was undeniably Aichi's voice, pleading with something. Naoki followed it, silently traversing into the wreckage, passed obstacles and dead ends. The words became clearer.

"Void! Link Joker!"

Was Aichi speaking with the Void? Perhaps it was still running amuck on Earth. Naoki stopped and listened closer. Aichi was right behind the remains of a flimsy wall.

"Why Kai? Why is Kourin gone too? Where are they?! Give them back! Give back my friends! Take me! Take me instead of them!"

There was no response, which Naoki found strange.

"Or... if you can't do that... Reverse me! Go on! Give me the power and burden!"

Naoki knocked down the wall between them in an attempt to stop Aichi from becoming reversed and repeating the tragedy once more. In the middle of a clearance stood Aichi, surrounded only by shattered mirrors that reflected back only Aichi's exact movements. There was no twist or corruption to them Void was not present. However, unbeknownst to the both of them, it was the same place where Kai's last cardfight occurred before he fell to reverse.

"Aichi! What are you doing alone like this?!"

"It's none of your business..." he replied, turning away. Naoki avoided the shards of glass and grabbed Aichi's shoulders.

"I was always better at the sports festivals than you. Don't try and get away. We're going to fight this out, man to man! Aichi to Naoki! I don't want to talk to some shitty imitation of the guy who spun my best friend into depression. I want to talk to and cardfight and have fun with Aichi! The Aichi who pushed me to actually live! The Aichi who showed me friendship and courage! The Aichi who showed me cardfighting is fun! The Aichi who reached out to me when everyone thought I was a lost cause! The Aichi who I love and hold dear! Where's that Aichi?! Tell me, because you sure as hell ain't him!" Naoki held his fist up, ready to literally beat some sense into Aichi, but Aichi beat him to the punch.

"You don't know anything, Naoki!"

"I know enough!" Naoki shouted, grabbing the other boy's fist in the air. "I know at least you're calling me by my given name again!"

"I-" Aichi shook himself free of Naoki's grip. "Fine then. Let's settle this. If I win, you and everyone else has to leave me alone. Forever."

"Don't you think that's a little childish, Aichi?" Naoki slipped out his deck. "Fair enough. If I win, you have to go back to being the old Aichi."

Aichi stepped back, pressing a button on the floor. It malfunctioned a few times, but a round fight table emerged from the wreckage, fight gloves included.

Both fighters stood on their respective sides. They placed their first vanguard facedown on the vanguard circle and shuffled their deck. After drawing five cards, the two were ready to begin.

"Stand up,"

"The"

"Vanguard!"

Both fighters flipped over their respective grade zeros.

"Lizard Solider, Fargo!"

"Brawler, Fighting Dracokid!"

"My turn!" Aichi drew a card. "I ride, Seal Dragon, Kersey and end my turn."

"Stand and draw! I ride Brawler, Wild Cloak Dragon. I attack!"

"No guard."

"Drive trigger check... No trigger."

"Damage trigger... Gatling Claw Dragon. I draw."

"Turn end."

Naoki thought about the flow of the fight. Aichi was harder to read than ever, but Naoki was convinced he would turn out to be the victor. He remembered the encouragement Aichi gave him. He remembered how much he wanted that Aichi back. Turns passed and Naoki kept focused on the battle.

Until Aichi rode to grade three, that is.

"At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at final evolution! Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form! Dragonic Overlord the End!" Aichi shouted, placing the card over Burning Horn Dragon.

"You... you missed your crossride..." Naoki remarked. Without the 13000 defense that The End usually held, Aichi was at a disadvantage. Aichi ignored his opponent's comment.

"The End attacks your vanguard!"

"Guard! Guld, protect the vanguard!" Naoki discarded a card to pay for his perfect guard's cost. Aichi's twin drive revealed no triggers.

"Dragonic Burnout attacks!"

"No guard!" Naoki damage checked his third damage. "I got one! Heal trigger!" Naoki stared at Aichi's damage. Aichi had four damage. Naoki couldn't use his heal.

"Now, Burning Horn Dragon attacks!"

"Guard!"

"I end my turn."

Naoki gazed at Aichi's hand. Because he missed the crossbreak ride, Aichi didn't gain the drive check. That in addition to his lack of the crossride 2000. power bonus allowed Naoki to set up his winning image.

" Scorching soul! Smash everything with your steel fists! I ride Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Buster!" Aichi took a step back.

"That card's name... One of your earlier drive checks was a card with a similar name... Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Dragon, was it?" Aichi smirked, "You missed your crossride too, Naoki!"

"But unlike you, I can fix mine!"

"What?!"

"Brawler dragons! Crash through even the heavens with your combined strength! Legion! Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Slasher!" Four cards returned from Naoki's drop zone to his deck. The mate then flew out at him from the deck. He placed Big Bang Slash Buster beside his vanguard.

"Legion... Two cards on the vanguard circle?" Aichi half asked.

"Mhm! Unlike yours, my vanguard is never alone! They have each other's backs. They fight together and use their skills together, as you're about to see! Legion skill!" Naoki flipped over a damage and showed a card to Aichi. It was the original Big Bang Knucle Dragon. "I counterblast one card and place one card with 'Big Bang Knuckle' from my hand into the soul."

"What?!"

"With that, my vanguard gets 5000 power in addition to the 2000 power crossride bonus! I also get to attack four of your units!"

"Four?!" Aichi's cocky expression transformed into a grimace. He clutched the cards in his hands.

"Aichi, I'm sorry, but you suck at Kagero. Big Bang boosted by Rising Phoenix attacks your entire back row and your vanguard for 33000 power!

"I perfect guard the vanguard with Dragon Dancer, Maria!" Aichi discarded a Dragonic Overlord The End from his hand to pay for the cost.

"Twin drive! First check... No trigger. Second check... Critical Trigger! I give the effects to my rearguard Slash Buster!"

"Grrrr..." Aichi pushed the lower half of his field to the drop zone.

"Now, Slash Buster attacks!"

"Guard!" Aichi placed half his hand into the drop zone.

"Skyhowl dragon attacks!"

"N...no guard." Aichi took his fifth damage. "Stand and draw... I call Seal Dragon, Artpique behind Overlord and I attack."

"...I knew it. That perfect guard was your only grade one."

"That has nothing to do with it."

"Sure it doesn't. Guard!" Naoki placed a critical trigger on the guardian circle. "And I intercept with Skyhowl. Two triggers should do it for you."

"I'll show you, Naoki! Twin drive! First check... Critical Trigger! All effects to my vanguard! Second check..." Aichi drew a Dragonic Overlord the End. "That's not all! I attack with... with..."

"Aichi... Without a booster, not even Burning Horn can touch my vanguard-"

"Shut up! Burning horn attacks Slash Buster!"

"Guard.

"Now Burnout will-"

"Wildfist will block that!"

"I... Turn end."

New footsteps resounded in the area. Miwa and Misaki ran in together from opposite ends of the building, having heard the ruckus from the cardfight.

"Aichi!" Miwa called.

"Aichi... Naoki! Do your best!" Misaki shouted.

"Stand and Draw! I call a second Slash Buster and use my vanguard's skill once more!" Naoki flipped over one card and slipped a Big Bang Knuckle Buster into the soul. "I attack Burnout, Burning Horn, Artpique, and your Vanguard in a single blow! I'mm show you the power of friendship by knocking down your fake walls! Attack!"

"N-no guard!"

"Twin drive! First check... no trigger. Second check... Draw trigger!"

"D-damage check..." Aichi flipped over the top card of his deck. Judging by the scratches and even the small dots of blood on the face of the card, Naoki could tell it was the Dragonic Overlord that Kai gave to Aichi.

Aichi held the card and dropped to his knees.

"Brother!" Kamui moved past a fallen beam. "Your safe..."

"I shouldn't be... I..." Aichi held the Overlord to his chest. Naoki stepped up to Aichi and tossed the card out of his hands.

Everyone stared at Naoki.

"You don't need that. You already have that card from him. That card... Blaster Blade. You're you. Kai'd want you to be happy."

"But Ren said-"

Crack.

A crack echoed from the air. It sounded much like the crack of the gate that killed Kai.

And it was right above Aichi. Aichi, however, went wide eyed, as memories of Kai's bloody suicide overcame him once more.

"Get out of the way!" Naoki slammed into, Aichi pushing him away the path of a large beam. However, Naoki was now in its way.

And it fell with a bloody crash.


	11. Step-Up

The smell of antiseptic in the hospital pierced the air. To Aichi, it was the smell of death. His surroundings were clean and white.

It was disgusting.

Aichi was discharged after being treated for lacerations and a concussion, both received after he passed out. When the doctors asked where the group had been, they fell silent.

The events were too similar to Kai's death, except Naoki could actually be brought to the hospital.

Naoki...

Again, Aichi was pushed to tears.

Naoki had faired far worse than Aichi. He was in surgery. Due to the damage done to his tendons and muscles, it was possible that his legs would never take . The surgery itself was risky due to the massive bloodloss. Best case scenario, Naoki would have to suffer through months, or even years of physical therapy. Worst case scenario, Aichi would be attending a second funeral.

As Aichi recalled, the beam that was supposed to kill him instead broke Naoki's bones straight through his skin. Naoki had pushed Aichi out of harms way, but tripped and fell, leaving both legs exposed. That's when Aichi fainted and Misaki filled in the gaps.

Kamui and Miwa worked to lift the beam ("It wasn't that heavy," Miwa insisted hiding his bandaged hands) while Misaki carried Aichi out and called for an ambulance. The group blamed the intrusion on a false story about disappearance of Submanager. After Aichi was discharged, Misaki went to told the Sendous that he was okay. Miwa, as it was getting late, decided to escort Kamui home.

"We trust you, Aichi." Miwa had said before they left, "Misaki and I'll be right back."

And now he was sitting alone outside the operating room.

"Sendou, right?"

"Hm?" a shadow overlapped the boy. He was gazing up at a familiar looling boy. "Naoki?! What are you? I thought you were-"

"No no. I'm his brother." he laughed and sat down next to Aichi, "I guess we look more alike than I though."

"Sorry..." Guilt swelled up in Aichi as he looked at his knees. Of course it wasn't Naoki. How could he forget that Naoki was undergoing sich painful surgery because of his selfish actioms.

"It's fine," he sighed, "I've heard a lot about you. From Naoki, I mean."

"What?" Aichi looked at his conversation partner again. At a second glance, their faces were similar, but Naoki's features were more distinct. Aichi couldn't help but wonder how Naoki would look in a few years.

"You're the one who got him into that game, right? Fightguard?"

"Cardfight! Vanguard?" Then again,the major difference was their hair. Naoki's hair was a lighter, reddish hue. His brother's was more orderly. Perhaps Naoki purposely altered his hairstyle to make the differences between his sibling and himself more noticeable? If Emi also had blue hair, would she do the same?

"That one, yeah. Whenever I get a chance to talk to him it's always 'Vanguard this, Cardfight club that, Aichi Aichi Aichi.' I could have sworn you were some girl he had a crush on the way he talked about you, but somehow I know you're the one and only Sendou Aichi." He laughed again, but it was less nervous.

"Naoki..." Aichi looked at the door of the operating room. The light was still on. Naoki was still in surgery. He wasn't safe yet.

"Hey. Don't be worried about him. My little brother's a fighter."

"But..." There was no way Aichi could confess that Naoki was undergoing the operation because of him.

"Trust me."

"Okay..." It's not like he could really trust that, but if saying he did made any family member of Naoki's feel better, Aichi would be willing to write essays on how much he trusts in them. And he would read it through bitter tears.

A few moments of awkward silence passed before Naoki's brother reached out again.

"Actually, this is because of you."

"I'm sorry..."

"Not that. It's because of you that he's a fighter. Before he entered high school, Naoki was just silent. Nothing to say, no energy. If he wasn't getting into fights, then he was just sleeping or studying. His grades were good, but it was no way to live. In fact, under these same circumstances, I'm sure he would have died by now."

"Naoki..." Aichi hadn't considered his friend's feelings at all. Naoki was just trying to pull him up. Instead, Aichi was pushing him away when he needed help the most. Perhaps Naoki had known the pain he was going through after all.

"But his grades are slipping and I'm not too happy about that. You seem like a smart boy. Help my idiot brother out so his head isn't just full of cards all the time." He stood up from his seat and stretched, "I'm getting something to drink. Do you want some juice or something?" His question seemed more like a statement. It was as if he was trying to repay a debt, even though Aichi was the one who owed him.

He's definitely Naoki's older brother.

"Yes. Thank you, um..."

"We aren't that close. Just call me Ishida."

"Okay then. Thank you, Mr. Ishida!" Aichi smiled. Somehow the conversation convinced him that everything was going to be okay. Aichi couldn't help but laugh at the siblings' similarities.

When the older Ishida returned, the two conversed more, but it was clear that the two were becoming impatient. Both wanted to know how Naoki was fairing. after what seemed like hours of waiting, Aichi took another look at the light above the door. It flickered off as a surgeon stepped into the waiting area.

"He'll be all right. Physical therapy will be hard, but he survived this, and that's the brunt of it." the doctor explained. Aichi nodded and smiled. Perhaps everything would be okay after all. Pessimism wasn't going to get him anywhere. It was time to make a change, at least for the sake of his friends.

He can do it... He believed in me, it's my turn to believe in him. And no matter what hardship he goes through, I'll stand with him every step of the way. That's what he tried to do for me.


	12. Step-Lead

"How's he doing?" Misaki asked. She brought back food made by Aichi's mother. Now the two were just waiting for Miwa to return and Naoki to wake up.  
"He's going to be okay. He'll probably have to miss school for a few weeks. I'll help him catch up. So it'll be fine." Aichi sighed. He started top unwind the bandage that his attending doctor insisted he wore, despite the lack of major injuries. It wasn't much, but Aichi needed something for his hands to do while he waited for Misaki to unpack the meal.  
"How about you catch up first and leave Naoki's tutoring to me and Shingo until then."  
"Oh yeah. Okay." He had forgotten about his own absence. In fact, until that moment, he seemed to have forgotten about school entirely. Aichi snapped back to reality before he let his mind wander too far.  
For the first time in weeks, Aichi actually conversed with Misaki. The both were staying in the waiting room until Naoki was awake and the doctors would allow them to go inside. Speaking with her soothed him, much like how he imagined conversing with an older sister.  
"Are you feeling better?" Misaki asked. She smiled much like she smiles at Emi. It was that of a concerned big sister.  
"Yeah…" Aichi remained silent for a few moments. "Thanks, Misaki. You and everyone else were just trying to help me, weren't you…"  
"Of course. You're our friend," Misaki replied.  
"At the time I really saw you as the antagonists. I was convinced you were trying to make me forget about Kai…"  
Miwa entered the waiting room.  
"Hey! How's Naoki?" he asked, sitting beside Misaki.  
"He should be waking up any moment." Aichi answered before he took in a mouthful of rice.  
"So he's gonna be okay?"  
"Yeah…" Aichi nodded. Misaki and Aichi offered some of their food with Miwa.  
"Some of this is Emi's cooking, right Aichi?" Miwa inspected a sandwich before eating it. Aichi looked at Misaki.  
"It is." Misaki replied in place of Aichi.  
"Shorty is going to be so jealous when I tell him!" Miwa took a large bite out of the sandwich. Aichi laughed a little. After he swallowed, Miwa addressed Aichi, but this time he held a less cheerful expression. "By the way, Aichi…" he started, "…Where did you get the idea to go to the Tatsunagi Building?!"  
"That? Well… It was R—" Aichi started. However, a nurse entered the room, interrupting his explanation.  
"Friends of Mr. Ishida?" she asked, looking at the group.  
"Yes!" Aichi replied, his eyes lighting up.  
"He's awake now and has requested to see you."  
"All right!" Aichi disposed of his left over food and containers, then waited for Miwa and Misaki with impatient eyes.  
"But what about—" Misaki began before Miwa motioned for her to be quiet.  
"Shhhh… Let him be happy. We have time now, Misaki."  
"If you say so, but afterwards, we need to get some answers out of Aichi." Misaki concluded,

* * *

"Aichi? Miwa? Misaki? What… what happened?" Naoki was strapped to the hospital bed. His head was bandaged and his arm was tethered to an IV. Naoki Ishida was a mess.

"Naoki!" Aichi had to restrain himself from pulling his hospitalized friend into a hug. Miwa pulled up a couple of chairs and explained the situation to Naoki.  
"Oh? So that's what happened? Thanks guys."  
"The doctors told us you'd be able to walk again. After physical therapy of course," Misaki added.  
"And Naoki… I saw your brother…" Aichi muttered. Naoki would have stood up in surprise if he weren't tied down.  
"You're kidding. I know him, He wouldn't even bother. He's always too busy with college…" Naoki grumbled, slinking down in his bed again.  
"N-no I'm not! I didn't even know you had a brother! He's about this tall and his hair is like yours except it's darker and less unruly and…" Aichi described his features the best he could.  
"That sounds like him… I still don't believe it…" Naoki sighed,"Nevermind that, Aichi. I see your feeling better!" He gave a weak smile.  
"Y-yeah… I'm… I'm sorry Naoki… you were just trying to help and I couldn't see that… And it's my fault you're—"  
"—No, Aichi. No more blaming yourself. That's why we're in this mess. We're in this together now. But you're here, and we're going to find Kourin next!" Naoki raised his free hand and balled it up in a fist.  
"No, Naoki. WE'RE going to find her. YOU'RE going to learn how to walk again," Misaki stated, shooting Naoki down.  
"But Boss Lady—"  
"No buts!"  
"Fine…" For the most part, everything seemed back to normal. However, Misaki still had the question on her mind. Who was it that led Aichi to the collapsing building and why?  
"Aichi… The question I asked earlier. I need an answer," she said, forcing Aichi to meet her gaze. Aichi tried to fight it, but Misaki on became more intent. "Aichi. This is important. I need an answer."  
"I-it was Ren," Aichi began, "I went to Foo Fighter Headquarters because I wanted to master Kagero and I figured the best way to do that was to challenge Ren. We never had our cardfight, but… he… he said that Void could still be in the building and could bring back Kai…"  
"…but why?" Misaki asked herself as she freed Aichi. "What was he planning? He knew Kai can't come back from the dead, but…" she looked over at Miwa who nodded. They would have to make a visit to Ren.  
"You're planning to talk to him, right?" Aichi asked, "Take me with you!"  
"Aichi. You can't." Miwa replied, "We don't know how he'll act."  
"I think you should take him with you. A-as my replacement so he can give Ren a piece of my mind!" Naoki interjected. Miwa looked at Misaki who shrugged, giving up on the argument before it started.  
"I guess it's decided, Aichi," Miwa sighed.  
"Why don't we stop by the shop first to update your deck? Besides, Shin would want to see that you're okay. Submanager was pretty sad too when you didn't walk through the door like always. And after that you can go home and we'll regroup at Foo Fighter first thing tomorrow morning," Misaki suggested, placing her hand on Aichi. She then directed her attention to the bedridden Naoki. "And you, Naoki!"  
"Y-y-yes Boss L—Misaki?!"  
"Get some rest. We'll be back tomorrow."  
"Sorry for the intrusion, but visiting hours are over." The three turned around to see one of the nurses behind them. He held a clipboard in one hand and fresh bandages in the other.  
"Thank goodness it's a guy…" Naoki said, "…If it wasn't then I think all I would be able to think of is her…" He shuddered, remembering his crushing defeat from Suiko and her Angel Feather deck. Even though he had won their rematch in the VF Circuit, Naoki had only barely survived against the seventeen year old idol.  
"N-no it's okay. W-we were just about to leave anyway," Aichi stammered, ignoring Naoki's comment and making his way around the nurse to reach the door. After exchanging nods of encouragement with Naoki, Miwa and Misaki followed Aichi.  
"Welcome ack, Aichi…" Misaki thought to herself.


End file.
